Kerre Woodham: Well-meaning Pero stung by criticism

Mike Pero. Photo / Simon Baker

The road to hell is paved with good intentions and Mike Pero found himself in a hellish situation this week after announcing his intention to charter a flight to Antarctica.

He was acting in good faith - after hearing that only five places were available for people who'd lost family members on the commemorative flight to Antarctica, he decided to charter a plane that would allow paying customers the opportunity to fly over the area where 257 people died.

Air New Zealand responded with a vicious press release, slamming the proposed flight as commercial opportunism of the lowest kind and deeply disrespectful. They claimed Pero was using the 30th anniversary of the Erebus disaster for commercial gain.

You could see the hurt and horror on Mike's face on television. He'd never for one minute thought about making money from other people's misery, he said.

He'd been moved by the stories of those who'd lost family and just wanted to help them see where their loved ones had died. If there had been any money left over after the expense of chartering a Qantas plane, it would be donated to Air New Zealand's charity, Koru Care.

Now the charter plane has been put on hold and John Key has raised the possibility of the Government organising a flight to Antarctica for family members at some future date.

Mike Pero must be feeling battered and bruised from this debacle. I don't know him at all, but he strikes me as a good bloke and those who have dealt with him back that up. From what I can see, he's a kind man whose well-meaning gesture backfired.

It just shows that 30 years on, the memory of the Erebus disaster is raw and painful.